Logitech MX Air Mouse

Over the past few years, the PC has slowly but surely begun to emerge as a primary source of digital playback and home-based media entertainment for many users. This has led to the emergence of lifestyle-segment based peripherals, from manufacturers such as Logitech.

Not only are these products designed to look exceptionally good, but they also pack in some very advanced features. We had reviewed one such product (Logitech’s DiNovo Edge Keyboard) earlier this year and had come away impressed with both its styling and its good use of current-generation technologies.

In the same vein, Logitech recently introduced its 'MX Air Mouse' which can be used in a manner similar to operating a TV remote. Does the Air mouse live up to the standards set by DiNovo? Read on to find out.

Logitech has to be commended for the attention it pays to the styling of its products. The MX Air mouse is a stunning device. The top of the device is a beautiful polished black. In direct contrast, the bottom, edge, and underside are done up in a nice chrome-colored finish that one might see on a muscle car.

This subtle use of color and finish gives the mouse an elegant but somewhat retro look. It's oddly reminiscent of a famous TV series that involved a talking '84 model Trans-AM.

Ergonomically, however, the mouse is both successful and disastrous. In case you think I have lost my beans, allow me to explain. As you can see from the images, the mouse is oddly long and has a rather pointy shape. This causes an immediate problem for use as a desktop mouse.

The end of the mouse is a little too long and causes grip problems. I tried using it over a normal work day and was forced to change back to a normal desktop mouse. This was simply due to the fact that my hands had cramped up. While the mouse is a laser mouse and its response time is fine, its design will not make power users happy. Any kind of strenuous use will cause problems for people with medium-sized hands.

Another problem that the long shape causes is the rather absurd amount of wasted physical space. The mouse could easily have been smaller and still as functional. This is of course a rather YMMV situation. If your use does not exceed the normal web surfing, office document use and other sundry PC-related activities, the mouse is fine.

For its buttons the mouse uses an orange backlit electronic touchpad system that works quite well. It registers presses quite easily and caused no problems. Apart from the rather obvious left/right click buttons the mouse also sports a finger-based scroll pad, and four dedicated buttons (for volume, back/forward, selection, and play).